subsense

S1U1B3S1E1N1S1E1

noun

A sense of a word that reflects a part or aspect of a more general (broader) sense.

OriginEnglish sense ← Middle English sense ← Old French sens →
Scrabble 10
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Meanings

nounsubsense (plural subsenses)

plural subsenses

  1. human sciencesA sense of a word that reflects a part or aspect of a more general (broader) sense.

    When an italicized label or guide phrase follows a boldface numeral, the label or phrase applies only to that specific numbered sense and its subsenses.

    2003, Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, page 21a

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*upó
  2. Proto-Italic*supo
  3. Latinsub
  4. Latinsub-
  5. Englishsub-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*sent-
  7. Proto-Italic*sentiō
  8. Latinsentiō
  9. Latinsēnsu
  10. Proto-Germanic*sinnaz
  11. Frankish*sinn
  12. Vulgar Latin*sennus
  13. Old Frenchsens
  14. Middle Englishsense
  15. Englishsense
  16. Englishsubsense

From sub- + sense.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

subsense. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/subsense

MLA

“subsense.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/subsense. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “subsense,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/subsense.

Source: subsense on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.